


Half a Life Spent on Film

by Hino



Category: Half-Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: As for hlvrai fans welcome you'll learn about Half Life while you're here, Gen, I'm sorry main Half Life Tag but I do assure you that canon HL will appear in this too, Me trying to remember how my VCR works, haunted video tapes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28400157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hino/pseuds/Hino
Summary: The Black Mesa Auction is held every few years, selling off projects and bits of Black Mesa science that have passed their NDA or no longer radiate lethal levels of toxic fumes, and are safe to distribute to staff.Gordon Freeman attends one such auction and buys a oddly mundane video tape.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24





	1. Going Once, Going Twice, Sold!

**Author's Note:**

> This has no update schedule and I am flying by the seat of my pants.
> 
> Hey remember when I was posting Anchor Point and Me Myself and I? Me neither.

It started, as all strange things do, at an auction.

Every ten or so years, the contracts at Black Mesa would expire. Things that had been sent into storage, or projects that had been shelved, their paperwork would time out. They'd become useless to Black Mesa, or had passed a safety check of "did not mutate in the past 3 months" and such, would be added to an Auction List.

An Auction List that would open up to Black Mesa staff and personnel, permitting them to take home a little piece of work with them.

Of course, there was more to it. More often than not, patents for projects that had potential but had run out of funding would end up at the auction, and scientists would scramble to buy it, bids climbing higher and higher as they tried to buy back the work they'd invested so much time and potential into.

And in the middle of it sat Gordon Freeman, a budding theoretical physicist who'd written a paper impressive enough for Black Mesa to invite him into their fold (along with Dr Kleiner's recommendation). He felt out of place amongst his peers, watching them bid on projects he didn't even know were made by Black Mesa. Bipedal dogs, semi-sentient plastics, teleportation prototypes and more. All things that were far outside his wheelhouse, and would be an affront to science's progress if he bothered to bid on them.

Of course, he did bid on a few things, if only to fail. A computer case that would slowly replicate parts put inside it, eventually creating a second computer. Jackets that were so well insulated you could wear them in the void of space and not lose body heat. 

But then came the item that caught Gordon's eye. So mundane that it had no place being inside Black Mesa.

"Item number 8-12-22-18 Subcategory 1-9: A VHS Tape. The notes left on its file are as follows-" Gordon leaned in as the announcer began to read, somewhat intrigued by the tameness of its appearance. "Contains footage of four scientists, interspersed with one Black Mesa Security Guard and one Military Captain."

Such an odd thing for Black Mesa to keep, unless there was something hidden on there, like some kind of company secret. The auctioneer kept speaking. "The tape was found stored in a cabinet along with several moth-eaten jackets and boxes. It has the potential to be somewhat corrupted."

Gordon wasn't sure why he raised his paddle to the starting bid of three dollars. Even his friend, Barney Calhoun, currently seated beside him, couldn't understand why. He raised an eyebrow at Gordon, but only got a shrug of the shoulders in return.

Nobody else chose to bid.

Gordon Freeman now owned an old, boring VHS tape.


	2. Looking for: Vintage VCR

When Gordon placed his winning bid, he had forgotten a key factor in playing a VHS tape.

Owning a VCR.

So as the auction wound to a close, he approached the front along with the myriad of scientists, and Barney, who had bought an entire box filled with knives that refused to dull, and a poster that would make his entire dorm smell faintly of strawberries.

Handing over the three dollars he had in his back pocket, Gordon took the tape with both hands. "You don't... know where I can get a VCR, do you?"

The staff member in charge of handing out the items paused. Gordon read their name tag; Dr Jennifer Leece. "I think the Area 7 Rec Facilities might have one. You could try there."

"Thanks." Gordon gave a small wave, stepping aside and just catching sight of Dr Leece hauling a 75 pound box of metal scraps off the ground and dropping it onto the table with little effort.

Well then. Looks like he had a scientist to never get on the bad side of.

~~

The Rec Facilities did in fact have a spare VCR. All it took was Gordon shaking the trapped packet of chips free of the vending machine to get it too. A bargain in his books.

"Let us know if you need any tapes!" called the department head, munching away on his chips. Gordon nodded, VCR under his arm as he headed towards the tram platform, eager to return to his dorm. The tape was still clenched firmly in his hands, unlabelled and unsuspecting. There was nothing about it that even looked like Black Mesa had interacted with it. No feeling of radiation, no strange properties, nothing.

The tram doors opened before him and Gordon stepped in, taking a seat.

It took him a moment to realize that he was not alone in the tram. It took an extra moment to realize his companion was sitting opposite him. Dressed in a crisp blue suit, one leg folded over his knee and hands resting in his lap, he looked like a government man, or some higher up in the company. Maybe an investor?

"Good afternoon, Doctor Freeman," the stranger greeted.

Gordon shifted in his seat, placing both the tape and the VCR down on the seat next to him. "Good afternoon...?" he greeted in return, unsure. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

A soft laugh, not menacing but genuinely amused. "No, Doctor Freeman, you do not. You may call me... Mister Coolatta." The stranger had paused as they chose their name, but Gordon knew better than to question it. Black Mesa had a lot going on, and if this man was involved at all, then there had to be some method to his naming.

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Coolatta." Gordon extended a hand and Mister Coolatta offered one in return, giving a firm shake. "What are, what're you doing here in the facility? And how do you know my name?"

Mister Coolatta uncrossed his legs, getting comfortable in his seat. "I take great effort in knowing the names of all Black Mesa employees," he simply answered. "It certainly aids me when it comes to business meetings."

He smiled politely and Gordon returned it. He still felt uneasy, but there was always a little bit of paranoia he'd never been able to shed when it came to new people. Mister Coolatta continued to speak. "I came to see you today due to your... purchase at the auction. A video, tape." 

His speech became stilted, marred with pauses. It was as if he'd deviated from a script, now making things up as he went, as opposed to following the strict polite business conduct he'd been using just before.

"Yeah." Gordon grabbed the tape, holding it in one hand. "Absolute steal." He turned it over in his hands, trying to see if he'd missed something before.

"That video tape is very special." There was something more serious in Mister Coolatta's words now. "I'd like to ask that you take... extremely good care of the tape. It is... invaluable. Please fully rewind the tape, and let it play until it has finished."

Gordon paused in his analysis of the video case. "You seem to know a lot about it. Are you sure you don't want it?"

He held out the tape towards Mister Coolatta, only to have it gently pushed back. "I think you would be better suited to have it. I am... not able to play the tape currently. My work keeps me busy."

"Right..." Gordon raised an eyebrow but said nothing, gently setting the tape down on the seat beside him. "I'll be sure to uh, watch it often."

Mister Coolatta smiled again, but it fell as the tram came to a stop. It was a more sudden stop than usual, and the tape Gordon had just set on the chair slipped, gliding across the uncomfortable plastic seat and dropping towards the floor.

Gordon barely had time to register it before Mister Coolatta had launched at the tape, catching it in a firm grip. "You must, take better care of this."

"S-Sorry." Gordon took the tape back, grabbing the VCR as Mister Coolatta got to his feet. "I'll make sure to be extra careful." Holding the VCR under his arm, Gordon scrambled for the door, darting out onto the walkway the second the doors opened and not even sparing a glance behind at the man, watching with concern as Gordon slipped through the doors to the Level 3 Dormitories.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact, the Lot Number for the tape follows the A1 B2 C3 numeric code. It actually spells HLVR (Subcategory) AI.


End file.
